Rail-joint.



PATENTED JAN. 23 1906.

L B. HENSLBY.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED M125, 1905.

\\h v S\\ JM N .fi. w w w m w 0M Q W u v JOSEPH B. HENSLEY, or.BEEVILVLYEITEXAS. hAi QINT.X- J

' Specification of Letters Patent. T Application filed February 2 ;,195, ;sea1 no; 241,368.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. HENSLEY,-&' citizen of the United States,residing at Bee ville, in the county of Bee and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Im rovements in Rail Joints, of which the folowing is a specification.

This invention relates to rail-joints, and

has forits ob ects to produce a simple effi-- invention. 2 5

cient device of this character possessing great strength and durability,one wherein relative vertical play of the rail-sections at their pointof meeting will be obviated, thus to prevent pounding of the rail ends,and one wherein separation of the rails at their joints in the event ofthe connecting olts becoming loosened or displaced is minimized v Withthese and other objects in view the invention comprises the novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of arail-joint embodyin the Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional plan view takenon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section takenon the line33ofFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 designate the rail-sections assembled inendwise relation and each comprising a head or tread 2,

web 3, ahd a. base 4., presenting oppositelyextended base-flanges 5,these parts being of the usual form and materi'a For joiningthe meetingends of the rails I- employ a splicing member 6, which, as a whole,'comprispsa base-plate 7,'designed to sit beneath the rail-base 4, andside portions or fish- -lates 8, adapted to bear upon opposite si es ofthe web 3, the plates 8 being formed integral with the plate 7, wherebythe splicing member or bar presents, in efi'ect, a:

. longitudinal channel designed toreceive the adjacent ends of therail-sections and having an internal shape or contour conforming to thecross-sectional shape of "a rail. The splicing member 6 is secured inposition upon the rails by means of a plurality of bolts 9, ex-

" tended ,transversely through the plates 8 and web 3, lthebolt-receiving openings 10 in the latter; being slightly elongated toallow for exp nsion and contraction, while the outer edges of the member6 are provided at appropriate intervals with transverse notches orrecesses 11, designed to receive spikes or other fastening members emloytdfor secur mg the rails to the underlyin'g 'cross-rties, it

I tang observed in this connection-thatthe spike-notches are ofinsufficient depth .to intersect .the inner rail-receiving channel, thusto obviate the entrance of dust or other impurities therethrough andinto the channel.

The normally inner plate 8 is formed to completely fill the s acebetween the overhanging portion of t e tread 2 and the adjacentbase-flange 5 ,the outerface of said plate being m a vertical planeflush with the o'uter I edge of the tread 2, .while the opposite andnormally outer plate 8 is likewise formed to completelfi fill thespacebetweenthe adjaanging portion of the tread and.

cent over the underlying base-flange 5, but is of an increased thicknesscom ared to the, inner plate and has formed longitudinally of its upperedge an upwardly-projecting portion'orflange '12, which bears upon thead acent side face of "the head 2 and extends to a point'near the planeof the upper face of the latter.

In practice when the parts are assembled relative vertical movement ordisplacement of the rail-sections 1 is wholly obviatedpwing to theplates 8 filling the s aces between the overhanging portions oft e treadand the base-flanges, whereby poun ofthe rails at their meeting ends iswho ly obviated, while atv the same time transverse displace- Patentedi'l'am23,

ment of the sections one relative to the other -ispreven'tedbecause ofthe fish-plates being formed integral with the base-plate 7. Furthermore, it will be observed that materiallyincreased strength isimparted to the joint by the formation of the flange 12 to bear upon"the outer face of the tread 2 and that-said flange asslsts inpreventing spreading of the 'rails andcrushing or other mutilationof'the tread by the action of the car-wheels thereon.

From the foregoin it will be seen that I prodnce a sim' le e 'cientdevice which in practice will a mirably perform its functions to theattainment of the ends in view, it be ing ,understood that minor changesinthe'details herein set forth may be resorted to with- IOO outdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Having thus'fullydescribedthe invention,

what is c aimed as new is In a rail-joint, a pair .of railsassembled inendwise, relation, a splicing member havirw a lolg'lgitudinal channe toreceivethe meeting en s of the rails; said channel being of an'inne'rcross-sectional contour c'onformin tb that of the rails, and presentinga baseateanda pair of side lates formed integral therewith, one of saiside plates being of a iro thickns eqiifilifig thewidthbf the adjacent.out their entire inner surface area withjgthe m overhanginggortlon ofthe rail-hggdjind fih corresponding faces of the rails. other 'side ate(if it relatively in'rbsed In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturet'hickness throughout. its entire'surfacq area in presence of twowitnesses. 5' and: having at its qpper edge an n wardly projectini'andlonglbudinally-exten porv HIFNSLEY' tibn drfi designed to bear on the adWitnesses: 3 'acent side ace of the miLhead, t e sidevand J; C. CRISPuse plates being designed to contact throug- T. M. Cox.

